| 1 | My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; |
| 2 | keep my commandments and live, keep my teachings as the apple of your eye; |
| 3 | bind them on your fingers, write them on the tablet of your heart. |
| 4 | Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," and call insight your intimate friend; |
| 5 | to preserve you from the loose woman, from the adventuress with her smooth words. |
| 6 | For at the window of my house I have looked out through my lattice, |
| 7 | and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man without sense, |
| 8 | passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house |
| 9 | in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness. |
| 10 | And lo, a woman meets him, dressed as a harlot, wily of heart. |
| 11 | She is loud and wayward, her feet do not stay at home; |
| 12 | now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait. |
| 13 | She seizes him and kisses him, and with impudent face she says to him: |
| 14 | "I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows; |
| 15 | so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you. |
| 16 | I have decked my couch with coverings, colored spreads of Egyptian linen; |
| 17 | I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. |
| 18 | Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love. |
| 19 | For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey; |
| 20 | he took a bag of money with him; at full moon he will come home." |
| 21 | With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. |
| 22 | All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast |
| 23 | till an arrow pierces its entrails; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life. |
| 24 | And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth. |
| 25 | Let not your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths; |
| 26 | for many a victim has she laid low; yea, all her slain are a mighty host. |
| 27 | Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death. |
| 1 | Does not wisdom call, does not understanding raise her voice? |
| 2 | On the heights beside the way, in the paths she takes her stand; |
| 3 | beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: |
| 4 | "To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the sons of men. |
| 5 | O simple ones, learn prudence; O foolish men, pay attention. |
| 6 | Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right; |
| 7 | for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. |
| 8 | All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them. |
| 9 | They are all straight to him who understands and right to those who find knowledge. |
| 10 | Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; |
| 11 | for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. |
| 12 | I, wisdom, dwell in prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion. |
| 13 | The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. |
| 14 | I have counsel and sound wisdom, I have insight, I have strength. |
| 15 | By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; |
| 16 | by me princes rule, and nobles govern the earth. |
| 17 | I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. |
| 18 | Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and prosperity. |
| 19 | My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. |
| 20 | I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, |
| 21 | endowing with wealth those who love me, and filling their treasuries. |
| 22 | The LORD created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. |
| 23 | Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. |
| 24 | When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. |
| 25 | Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth; |
| 26 | before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. |
| 27 | When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, |
| 28 | when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, |
| 29 | when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, |
| 30 | then I was beside him, like a master workman; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, |
| 31 | rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the sons of men. |
| 32 | And now, my sons, listen to me: happy are those who keep my ways. |
| 33 | Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. |
| 34 | Happy is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. |
| 35 | For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD; |
| 36 | but he who misses me injures himself; all who hate me love death." |
| 1 | Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven pillars. |
| 2 | She has slaughtered her beasts, she has mixed her wine, she has also set her table. |
| 3 | She has sent out her maids to call from the highest places in the town, |
| 4 | "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" To him who is without sense she says, |
| 5 | "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. |
| 6 | Leave simpleness, and live, and walk in the way of insight." |
| 7 | He who corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. |
| 8 | Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. |
| 9 | Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man and he will increase in learning. |
| 10 | The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. |
| 11 | For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. |
| 12 | If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it. |
| 13 | A foolish woman is noisy; she is wanton and knows no shame. |
| 14 | She sits at the door of her house, she takes a seat on the high places of the town, |
| 15 | calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way, |
| 16 | "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" And to him who is without sense she says, |
| 17 | "Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant." |
| 18 | But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol. |
